Over 62,000 migrants arrived in Yemen this year: UN

United Nations – Over 62,000 asylum seekers, refugees and migrants arrived in Yemen from the Horn of Africa in the first 10 months of this year, a UN spokesperson said Friday.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) “remains concerned” about the large numbers of people who are risking their lives by making this perilous journey from the Horn of Africa, reported Xinhua citing UN spokesperson Fahran Haq at a regular briefing here.

According to UNHCR, hundreds of people, including Syrian refugees, have died in recent months crossing the Mediterranean to Europe.

“Yemen has seen six successive years of high arrivals by sea, with more than 100,000 people making the crossing last year,” said Haq, adding “the Gulf of Aden remains one of the world’s most travelled sea routes for asylum seekers and migrants.”

Since 2006, a total of over half a million asylum seekers, refugees and migrants have travelled by sea to Yemen, most of whom are Ethiopians, according to UNHCR.